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Nursery fined after worker falls through glass roof

An absence of adequate health and safety training has been identified as one of the main contributing factors in an accident at a horticultural nursery in Evesham.

A 21 year old man was left unable to work for three months following a 3 metre fall through a glass roof onto a concrete floor. He sustained multiple injuries, including concussion with blood on the brain and a fractured hand.

An investigation into the incident by The Health and Safety Executive found a lack of understanding of the risks of working at height, and discovered that the man had received training from someone who had not received any training either.

There were no measures put in place to protect workers’ safety, despite the obvious dangers of working at height on glass roofs.

With the correct guidance and training, these kinds of incidents can be avoided; however, in this instance both the employee and the company involved found this out the hard way and very much to their cost. The nursery was prosecuted and ordered to pay a £12,000 fine and more than £6,000 in costs.